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A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

"A Very old Man with Enormous Wings” is a good example of Magical Realism. This story has all the characteristics of Magical Realism, such as having one fantastic element while being reality based, having a deeper meaning, and having no need to justify or explain events or human actions. Gabriel Garcia Marquez does a perfect job of transforming the common and everyday into something very special and magical.
I believe that “A very old man with enormous wings” is the angel, who represents the mysterious and unfamiliar elements in life. The angel is not just something supernatural, but also something foreign- someone who stands out in the crowd as being different from the rest of the society.
Here, Marquez shows us the society’s the fascination with things that are different and unique. When confronted with the unknown, the society shows rudeness and prejudice. Usually, the people are afraid of what they do not understand. Disgusted by angel’s outer appearance, they showed him no compassion. Instead, they community abuse and humiliate the angel along with Pelayo and Elisenda, who turn their house into the circus, and profit from the angel at his expense “With the money they saved they built a two-story mansion with balconies and gardens”(573). They mistreat the old man because he does not meet the public’s stereotypes for how a “normal” person should look and behave. Since people have never seen anything like this before, they automatically treat the man like he is not a human being (even though he is in the human form), but rather an animal.
Let us consider the possibility that this incredible mysterious being is the catalyst for the family’s recovery from the destitution. Before the arrival of the angel Pelayo and Elisenda were just simple, poor family with a dying child. Once the angel is captured-their child recovers; the family uses him for financial gain and recovers from poverty and need. Here Marquez show...